Brethren
by Akuma and Kurikara
Summary: If you asked the youngest Prince of Gehenna what he thinks of love, he would scoff and brush you off. But he's about to get a great deal of change when he meets a girl from Assiah, of all places. Warning: AU
1. Chapter 1

So this happened after I was freaked out by a bad thunderstorm on my vacation...

**WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING:** Veryvery_very_ AU/OOC Rin. His personality here goes along with my AU version of him I RP as. So if you wouldn't like to see what I imagine Rin would have been like if he was raised in Gehenna, then I suggest leaving ASAP.  
Just click on the little backspace button. I don't want reviews saying that this would never happen. _It's labelled AU for a reason._

* * *

Dark blue eyes blinked as they watched the raindrops stream down the window. He raised the small, light brown drink to his lips and took a small sip. The sugar in the drink stimulated his taste buds and his heartbeat sped up some. He had forgotten what this drink Amaimon had suggested, but he liked it a bit. It seemed to be loaded with sugar; no wonder his older brother had suggested it.

There was a flash of light from the sky, and his eyes flickered upwards, quickly taking in the bolt of lighting in the sky. A rumble soon followed, and a smile flickered onto his face. He took another sip of the sugary drink and continued to watch the dark, cloudy skies.

The youngest son was never found hanging around strange- yet popular- coffee shops in Assiah; he had always preferred to stay in his own world with his friend, wrecking havoc in neighboring towns or testing out some games the humans had created. The only time he would leave his home is when he heard from of his brothers that there was a storm approaching in that world.

And this had been one of those times. There was a raging thunderstorm going on in Tokyo, Japan, and the young demon couldn't resist staying away. He loved watching the rain pour down onto the streets, the way the trees moved in the blowing winds… He also loved the sound of the rain hitting the roof, or the window. The soft sound comforted him, and seemed to ease him of any stress he had.

Another bright flash of lighting caused him to jump slightly, spilling some of the coffee onto him. "Damn!" he cursed, jumping up.

"Are you all right, sir?"

He turned towards the voice. It was the cashier, a young girl with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a green apron over her uniform that consisted of a red shirt and black pants.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Noisy girl.

"Aright." She paused before continuing. "We have to close up soon, so you have to leave."

"That's fine by me," he replied, and picked up his cup.

"Have a nice da-" the girl started, but was cut off when the door slammed shut behind the boy. The boy didn't even register the fact that that girl had started talking again. He was too absorbed in finishing off his drink.

As if his arm had gone limp, it dropped to his side and the finished plastic bottle slipped out of his fingers. He continued to walk on, not caring about the rain that was plastering his dark hair to his head, or the howling winds that were freezing him to the bone, or the stray papers that were flying about. He marched forward, red boots clacking lowly against the pavement, unheard over the winds. He didn't have a set destination in mind, but he knew whom he was going to see next. His legs moved according to memory as he trudged on through the storm.

An hour passed, and he was standing outside of the Chairman of True Cross Academy's office. Without knocking, he pushing the door open, expression blank as he gazed upon the face of his elder. "Mephisto," he said, his voice void of emotion.

"Littlest brother," the purple-haired principal said, tone light. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. How have you been?"

"I've been better." He closed the door behind him and walked over to one of the poofy pink chairs. Plopping in one, he continued: "I'm bored at the moment, and I want someone to mess with. Do you have any new playthings for me?"

"And you're not even going to ask how your eldest brother is doing?" The chairman's voice was laced with mock hurt. He bent over to the side and started rummaging through files in his desk. "How cruel you can be. Here." He handed him a file with a small smile on his face. "This one is relatively new to this place. How about giving him a warm welcome?"

The boy took the file and opened it, staring at the picture frozen in his seat. A smile slowly grew onto his face and he became more relaxed in his seat. "So you want me to play with him?" He laughed a bit and flipped through the pages in the folder. "This will be fun." He found a sheet in which the words were handwritten. It seemed to be an essay, part of an application. "This his?"

"Yes, indeed."

He sniffed the paper, trying to memorize the sweet and bitter smell. "Where can I find him?"

"He lives in one of the older dorms, on the north side of the campus. Do you think you can find your way?"

"North side? Sounds easy enough to find…" He closed the file and threw it back onto the desk. "Thanks, brother."

"Anytime~. Just try your best to not break anything, alright?"

"I will try my best not to…"

* * *

He had to follow his nose to find the strange smell. It had taken him longer than usual, but he eventually made it to the old dorm. The only problem was how he was going to get inside.

This is where creativity had to come in. Surely, the boy was new in town, a first year at the school. He couldn't have many friends- or any friends at the moment. Ringing the doorbell was going to arouse his suspicions. Plus, it wasn't any fun he just walked through the door.

As he looked up the side of the dorm, an idea formed in his head. He had promised that he wouldn't break the boy. He never said anything about items…

Yes, that would work…

* * *

Finally. The last of his books were unpacked and stored into his bookshelf. The brunet sighed and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead before taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt. It had taken him most of the time to finish that chore; the priests back at the monastery would be happy to hear that his room was nearly finished. All that remained now was to unpack some clothes.

He walked over to one of the large suitcases, laid it on its side and quickly unzipped it. He took a small pile of clothes, on hangers, and walked over to the closet, squinting slightly against the glare of his guns on his desk, his weapons of choice against demons. Grabbing some hangers, he managed to hang them up quickly.

As he walked back to the suitcase, he heard a knocking sound. He paused in his steps and looked around for the source. It came again, this time a bit louder. Tensing up, he walked over to his desk and picked up the guns. Even if it wasn't a loose demon and in fact a human messing around with him, the bullets wouldn't hurt. They were a special type of bullets, designed to take down demons rather than humans.

"Who's there?" he asked calmly, pointing one gun to the window and one to the door.

No sounds followed. He frowned a bit and lowered his guns- perhaps he had been overreacting to a mere bug tapping the window. He placed his guns back onto his desk and turned around, mind fully set on his packed clothes, when a loud crash was heard.

He didn't react fast enough: he only had time to register the feel of the broken glass on his back and something heavy push on his back. He fell to the ground with a grunt, glasses askew on his face. Before he could do anything to fix them, they were pulled off of his face. "Hey, give those back!"

A voice filled with excitement replied: "These? Nah. I wanna see what these are like. Whoa!" He must have put the glasses on, and was now looking around the dorm room. "Everything is so fuzzy now! Aren't these supposed to _help_ you see?"

He turned around and squinted his eyes, trying to see through the blur of bad eyesight. He noticed the dark outline of his frames standing out against the boy's pale face. He also noticed his dark hair that seemed fuzzed and something flickering behind him. Was that a _tail_? "Who are you?"

"Me? A brother or a bother. Here, you might want these back. Can't see with them." He saw the boy reach up to pull of the glasses and put them back on his face. "Hold still. Don't move around so much. There." He pulled his hands away. "Can you see me now?"

Light turquoise eyes blinked, taking in the boy's now clear image. His dark hair had a smallest hint of blue in it and was soaking wet- he must have been in the rain. His bangs fell into his eyes, which were close to the colour of sapphires, and in equal brightness. The darkness of his eyes and hair made his skin seem paler than it actually was. His ears were strange- they were pointed slightly, just like the canine teeth which were showing from behind a smile that seemed to mimic the Earth King's.

He seemed to be wearing a decaying black jacket that was longer in the back, a dark shirt underneath, and a fabric that was close to denim. His shoes were unusual with the outfit: they were red, low-heeled boots, and had white fur near the tops of them. Red string was used to tighten the shoes, and it seemed to have belt buckled near the ankles.

The flickering shape behind him was, indeed, a tail. Its end was tufted and curled near the end. This boy… he was a demon.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"Ahh. I'm sure you know me, Mr. Middle Class Exorcist. I hear you're a genius. Think." He leaned in a bit, still smiling. He pulled his legs in so he sat in a criss-cross position. "I'll give you a hint: Who are the most powerful demons besides Satan?"

Besides Satan? "Well… Hell's Princes…"

He noticed that the boy was still smiling.  
"Keep going," he nodded on.

The Exorcist stared. Was this boy saying that he was one of them? "Well… there's Beelzebub, King of Insects-"

"And what a little pest he is," the boy interjected. "I'm sorry. Continue." He waved his hand.

"U-Um… Egyn, King of Water; Iblis, King of Fire; Astaroth, King of Rot; Amaimon, King of Earth…" Was there another? He couldn't remember.

"Aaaaand there's another. You're missing one more, probably the most important," he said, a bit smug. "Hint: he's not referred as a King of whatever."

There _was_ another. If memory served him right, then the final 'king' would be… "You mean the next king of Gehenna? Then that would be Rin, wouldn't it? A…Are you saying that you're Rin?"

"Finally, you got it. I was getting worried: You didn't seem to be living up to my expectations." His tone had changed slightly, from the teasing tone to a dark yet still teasing one.

"Why are you here?" he asked, voice strong and commanding. "I thought that Assiah was too good for the future king of Gehenna."

"Why am I here, you ask? It's simple: Because you're here." Rin brushed his damp bangs from his eyes and continued: "I've always wanted to meet my littlest brother."

Yukio froze, his blood running cold. B-Brother? No, that was impossible. He was an only child- and proud of it. He had heard from his classmates how bothersome siblings could be, whether older or younger, brother or sister. He had been at the top of his class because he didn't have a sibling hassling him as he studied.

And now this demon- out of the blue- crashed through his window and called himself his older brother. Impossible.

No. He didn't believe it.

"I-Impossible," he said, pale-faced. "I'm an only child."

"Psh. Now _that's_ impossible. All of those demon kings you named are technically your half-brothers. I'm the only one that you could call you're full-blooded brother." He smiled down at him.

That smile…_ it was the smile of a predator trying to relax his prey before he ate him whole._

He frowned, uneasy. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to meet my little brother." He pouted playfully despite his constant dark teasing. "Maybe play with him a bit. See how well he fights against a demon."

What? "No!" He struggled to get up, but the demon's weight was keeping him down.

"No? How cruel. Then, how about instead, we see how you taste."

"W-What?" He wanted to _eat_ him?

He felt the other move on his back. "Why not? I'd even make it painless for you." He felt a hand under his chin, lifting his head and exposing his neck. "I'd slice your neck," he brought a thumb across the exposed skin, mimicking a slicing action, "nice and deep. I'd let you bleed out, then I'd see what I can do with all of this meat and fat." His hands moved to Yukio's cheeks and pulled them slightly. "Of course, this wouldn't be for me, it would be for my brothers and father: I don't like eating humans. But I've been told I'm a mean chef." He tiled his head back and laughed at his own joke. "But, you know, there is always a first for everything." Rin lowered his head to his ear, his lips brushing against them. "And you do look delectable…" His tongue flickered out and licked at his ear. He chuckled softly to himself.

Yukio's breath was caught in his throat and his heart began to race, adrenaline bursting through his veins.  
No… _no_…  
Oh, please, God, no…

He prayed for a miracle, for something to happen. Be it a fellow Exorcist crashing down the door after hearing his beating heart and slaying the demon, or something coming down from the heavens and sending the demon away. If only he had kept his guns by his side.

"Rin."

Both Rin and Yukio froze. Simultaneously, they both looked at the hole in the window, where the voice had come from. There, a person with green hair and ragged-looking clothes stood at the edge of the window, holding onto a long chain that was attached to a medium-sized goblin. Both were wet with the ongoing drizzle.

Rin was the first to react. His expression turned to slight annoyance and he released the young exorcist. "Amaimon." He sat up straight. "What do you want? I was having fun."

Before the Earth King replied, he took out a lollipop from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "Sorry to interrupt, but Father's looking for you. He said something about a far away city that was burning with blue flames. He said he didn't do it, which only leaves you." He slurped up the drool forming at the corner of his mouth. "Did you go city wrecking again? I thought Father said you should stop."

The corners of Rin's mouth turned downwards into a snarl. "Tch. He shouldn't be telling me what I can and can't do. I have to find some way to get rid of pent up anger, don't I?"

He got up from the other's back, making sure to dig his heels into his spine as he did so. "Looks like you get to live another day or so. I won't forget about you, and you shouldn't forget me. I'll be waiting to see you again, little brother."

He jumped from his back onto the desk and kicked aside the guns. "And don't go playing with guns. They're dangerous." As he spoke, the silver guns burst into a bright blue flame. With the flames crackling merrily, he jumped out of the window, landing on the ground with a grunt.

"Amaimon," he started, "exactly how long do you think we have until the old bastard gets here?"

"Hummm…. About fifteen minutes?"

"Do you think we should push it?"

Amaimon glanced to his youngest brother. "Where did this come from? You're never one to push Father."

Rin merely shrugged. "Just wanted to see if you were up for anything."

"I wouldn't," the Earth King said conversationally. "He got into a fight with our Rotty brother and is already riled up. Come on; let's go visit Anuie. He'll take us home."

The brothers raced through the streets of True Cross, heading in the direction of the headmaster's office.

* * *

"I thought I told you not to break anything!"

"But I didn't."

"You broke the window!"

"Oh…" Pause. "I thought you were talking about not breaking little bro." He shrugged. "Oops."

"You're going to have to fix that!"

"I would, but," Rin yawned, "Amaimon said Father's looking for me. I better go see what he wants."

Mephisto rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming. He sighed. "Alright then. Here." He grabbed his umbrella and tapped on the ground thrice times. "_Einz, zwie, drie._"

A small portal appeared on the floor, whooshing a bit as it sucked in air. "There. Go home, you two."

"Thanks," Rin mumbled, but stepped onto the portal willingly.

He disappeared. Amaimon was about to step onto it as well when Mephisto added: "And Amaimon, please keep an eye out for Rin so he doesn't get into anymore trouble."

Amaimon nodded. "Yes, Aniue." And then he was gone.

The portal closed after the Earth King vanished. The principal sighed and placed his umbrella at the side of his desk and sat down in his chair. Now, how he was going to explain this to the young, and now traumatized, exorcist was going to be difficult.

Why were his little brothers such nuisances?

**_~*The demons are back in their haven. But they will be back to play.*~_**

**_~*They always return to finish what they've_ _started_.*~**

* * *

And thus concludes my drabble. I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so just like my other story, I've decided to put this fic into motion, making it a full-fledged story. I'm not going to say anything about the plot, so just bear with me for those that suggested I make it into a story.

This story idea came from some role-play plot ideas that I came up with for me and my friend. We actually managed to RP this scene out, I as the AU Rin and her as the Shiemi. It's not word for word, straight from the RP. If you'd like to read it, then you can message me.

* * *

Everyone that knew Father Fujimoto of the Southern True Cross Church could say that he could be prepared for anything. He always seemed to have everything he needed, even those items that others would never think of using. He was sharp and witty, even during his Homilies, which always managed to keep everyone's attention; even the little ones.

But nothing could have prepared him for the phone call from his son.

It was just after the last Mass of the day, and Father Fujimoto had been helping the other priests in the monastery cook a meal that would serve them for both lunch and dinner when the phone rang. He had been chopping up onions at that time (his eyes had started burning because of it, as well); he placed the knife down and quickly wiped his hands on the nearby towel. Shirou wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he answered the phone with solemn, yet cheerful, "Hello?"

"_Father Fujimoto?"_ a very familiar voice said back, timid yet strong.

"Ah, Yukio m'boy!" Shirou noticed the other priests glancing at him and smiling. He too smiled. "How've you been?"

"I've been alright, but… Tousan, something's happened."

The old priest didn't like the tone of voice. He grew worried now. "What's happened?"

Shirou then listened to Yukio's story, his expression turning from worry to a stony look. "I see," he said when his son concluded. "Would you like me to come over?" A pause. "If you think that'll be best. Just call again if it happens again, do you hear me?" He paused before he cracked a smile. "And don't just call if something's wrong, y'know! We don't want to hear only from you if you're troubled. If it's something bad, we might get a heart attack." His attempt at humor didn't quite lift either of their spirits, but it was better than hanging up on a grim tone. "Call back soon, you hear? Stay safe."

"_I will, Tousan."_ And when Shirou heard the flat tone, he knew the other hung up, and he placed the phone back onto the receiver.

"Fujimoto-shinpu," Nagatomo started, seeing the look on the elder's face, "Did something happen?"

Shirou shook his head in disbelief as he went back to cutting the onions. "Yukio's room was broken into. By a demon, no less. And-" he interjected Izumi, who was about to open his mouth, "the demon claimed to be his older brother." His body seemed to freeze, knife halfway through the onion when he slammed the knife onto the cutting board. "Dammit!" When he went with Mephisto to dispose of Satan's children, there was only one! Yuri had already passed on, and both Shirou and Mephisto noticed that the child sleeping in his mother's arms was human. There was no twin!

But if there was indeed a twin… what had happened to him?

* * *

He breathed deeply through his nose. Although his eyes were closed, he could tell exactly what was around him.

He was relaxing in an ancient and withered tree, deep in one of the Elder Forests that was nearby. It was his favourite tree, as its branches made a perfect place for him to recline in. It also obstructed him from view if anyone happened to look up and around, but he could see down perfectly. For this he was very grateful, as he always his here whenever his older brothers wanted to play.

He opened his eyes and glanced around. It was getting late; the usual murky sky was growing even darker. He knew he would have to hurry home if he didn't want to upset his father. The demon let out a sigh as he ruffled his dark hair. He always hated how strangely protective his father was. 'Don't be out so late!' he would say. Don't do this! Or that! Or blah, blah…

It's not like it mattered; he would do whatever he damn well pleased.

But today they had already gotten into several fights, and Father had also gotten into fights with the older brothers. Perhaps, just this once, it would be safe to actually listen.

At this revelation, he let out a whine. He hadn't even found a plaything for the next day. Such a shame; he needed to find one for his friend. Oh well, he thought as he let out a sigh. 'Perhaps tomorrow.'

He was just about to prepare himself to jump when he heard a shriek. His deep blue eyes flickered around, wide, searching for the source. He looked down at the ground.

There! It was a strange looking girl, wearing an even stranger pink fabric that seemed to wrap around her body. Her hair bounced and flew behind her.

An eyebrow rose. She didn't look like a demon, and judging by her smell, wasn't one. She smelled _pure_. It almost burned his nose. It most likely would have if it hadn't been for the other side of him that was a constant joke in the family.

He grimaced, paused, and then smiled a bit. Perhaps she could be the plaything. It didn't matter how she managed to get into Gehenna; she wouldn't be here for much longer anyhow. A purr rose from his chest. Sounded like a great plan.

He scooted over to the edge of the branch before he let himself fall. He hit the ground with a grunt, on his hands and knees. He had fallen about ten paces behind the girl, and let out a laugh when she screamed again and toppled over. He got up and walked over to the girl, who was shaking on the ground and coughing. When he got close enough, he saw that her shoe had gotten caught on a root. Her foot was probably twisted because of it. She didn't seem to be going anywhere soon.

He knelt down in front of her, smiling widely with faux concern. "Are you okay, miss?" he asked, voice laced with the same about of fakeness. It was like bitter honey to him.

The girl looked up at him and trembled, green eyes wide with fright. Again he laughed. It was a normal response whenever a human saw him in his true form, with the long ears and cat-slit eyes that glowed red at the center. Even the tufted-ended tail was something to shout about.

His eyes narrowed slightly; the girl was trying to speak, but was only managing to get out small squeaks and coughs. "L-Let me go home," she managed, eyes tearing up from either extreme fear or from her coughing.

"But what a shame," he cooed. "We'd be loosing a beauty."

She girl squeezed her eyes shut as she coughed again. "P-Please…!"

The demon rolled his eyes. If she didn't get out, then the poisonous atmosphere in Gehenna would rob her of her life. He didn't care for the girl at all, but if he let her die here, then another demon would most likely come after her corpse. All demons would do strange things with human corpses. It was most common to eat them, but he knew some people- like his cousin, who held a strange fascination towards human eyes- would take a part and leave the rest.

"Alright, fine," he said. "But you must give me something in return. Whatever I want, you hear?"

The girl nodded.

"Good."

He shifted himself and grabbed at the branch that held her foot down with both hands, and ripped it out of the ground. Her foot was free, and he used the broken root to draw something in the reddish-brown dirt. When it seemed to be finished, he tossed the stick aside and bit the meaty part of his palm with sharp canines, bringing some blood. He held his hand outstretched over the circle and let some of the blood drip onto it.

"Come, and listen to your princes' request," he muttered. The circle began to smoke. The demon noticed the girl's excessive coughing; it must have become worse with the smoke. Oh well, he shrugged. He had to do what he had to do.

From the smoke arose a wolf-like creature with dark fur. It growled a bit, as if angered that the demon disrupted its sleep, before it realized who he was facing. Its growling automatically ceased and it bowed on its haunches.

"I want you to open a portal," the demon commanded.

The familiar bowed again before it sat back onto its hind legs. Its claws grew into large talons and he sliced through the air.

It was as if the familiar had cut right into Assiah. You could see right through to the people walking by, not noticing the portal from the Otherworld. It was nighttime over there, and there were less people on the streets. The demon nodded in approval. Yes, this would be fine.

He turned to face the girl, and he got a small surprise. The girl had seemed to pass out; her eyes were firmly shut, and he wasn't sure if they could ever open. But he shrugged and picked up the girl, throwing her onto his shoulder. "C'mon, tootes…"

* * *

The girls' eyes did, eventually, open. It was the next morning when they opened, and she found herself lying in her late grandmother's bed, the sheets tucked up around her and keeping her warm. She looked around the room before sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. What a strange dream she had… It had an even stranger boy in it, in an unfamiliar land.

She stopped rubbing at her eyes, lowering her hands a bit. Had it all just been a dream, though? It seemed all too real. Even the thought of the choking atmosphere caused her lungs to ache.

She pulled the covers off of her body and got out of bed. The wooden floor felt cold beneath her feet. But she didn't mind it. She liked how with every step she took towards the door how her feet met the chill.

After opening the door, she glanced around. The smell of morning dew was crisp in the air, and the sun had not yet evaporated it away. All of the flowers still seemed to retain their soft petals and leaves. The warding gate around the garden was still standing perfectly. She frowned softly. Had it been all a dream?

* * *

The demon was perched in his tree again, this time whistling a soft tune. His tail was curling up around the trunk of the tree. Every now and again, the soft whistling would stop and he would let out a hiss.

On his arm was a large burn mark he had received the night before.  
That damned anti-demon gate.

* * *

Reviews are much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh, look.  
I updated early. Wow I think this is a record for me.

Enjoy chapter three.

* * *

Days passed, weeks melted away, and soon two months had passed. Shiemi could be found now in her garden, tending to flowers that had become infested with weeds- or weedies, as she liked to call them. Since she hadn't been out at her garden lately due to her Cram School work piling up, they had taken the opportunity to sprout everywhere. If you saw how diligently she worked to protect her grandmother's garden from those evil weeds, you would think that she would have forgotten all about the incident. Pushed it away even; good-bye.

But she hadn't. In fact, it was the only thing on her mind at the moment. Was he real? Or had it all been just a dream?

If it had been a dream, it had been very vivid. The choking atmosphere, the boy's touch, how very _alive_ the place had been. She wiped her forehead clear of sweat; her back ached, but she kept deweeding.

Again, she pushed the thought from her mind, instead thinking about the Exorcist school. She had recently been promoted to Esquire, and it was coming close to the Exorcist exam. But the girl didn't know if she would go through and become a full-fledged Exorcist.

"Say, Nee-chan," she said quietly. A small green teddy-bear like creature playing in a rosebush peeked out, squeaking a bit. Shiemi turned to the baby Greenman. "The Cram school is getting hard, don't you think?"

The Greenman squealed lowly, as if agreeing. Shiemi held out her hand, and the Greenman jumped onto it. She brought him close to her face and poked at her head. "I don't even know whether or not to become an Exorcist… But I've come this far, so why not?"

The familiar threw up its arms and squealed again. Shiemi laughed a bit before she gasped. The boy's smile once again flashed through her mind. It made her uneasy, how often she thought about him. He was real, right? Or…

"Nee…" The Greenman stopped squealing and stared up at the girl. "Was… it all just a dream?"

Both the girl and the Greenman were silent; the only sound being the wind whistling softly between the vines of the numerous plants. It was a dream, she thought to herself. But if it had been real, would it have been that bad? She had been returned home, after all. Even placed in her bed.

That was another question that lurked in her mind.

"If it was real," she said aloud, to no one in particular, "then how did he get past the warding gate?"

"Ask him yourself," came a reply on the breeze.

Shiemi's head snapped over to the gate. Her mouth dropped in surprise and she gasped loudly. The boy! He was standing right outside the gate, sporting a nasty frown and an even nastier burn on his arm.

She placed Nee-chan on the blower bed and got to her feet, dazed. She slowly made her way to the gate.

She took in the boy's look: he had dark hair that stuck upwards and out at certain ends. He had bangs, and they fell over his face. His eyes were alight underneath the dark hair, a shining ice blue that gazed coldly at her. His ears were different from what she had imagined- they were almost human-like, except at the very tips, they were pointed.

His skin was fair, and it clashed with his dark-coloured clothes. He wore a tattered jacket over a T-shirt and beaten jeans. To finish it off, he wore- strangely- red boot-like, lace up shoes. On one end of a string, a small azure charm dangled on it. His fluff-ended tail dangled down near his ankles, shifting slightly in the breeze.

Shiemi's hands closed around the bars of the gate. "I know you…"

"I'm sure you do," he replied, stiff.

"You saved me… I thought you weren't real."

"Apparently, you forgot your mind and manners." He rolled his eyes. "I'm very real, unfortunately for you and every other human."

Shiemi ignored this. Instead she looked at the burn mark on his arm, visible through the holes and loose strings. From what she could see, it was a deep red, as if the skin was angry. Through the bars of the gate, she pointed at it. "I could help you with that, you know."

He scoffed. "I can help myself, thanks. I just need to know what exactly I need to get this damn thing to heal."

"I-I'll need to examine it first, before I can tell anything. I can help you," she said again.

The demon sighed. She wasn't going to give up on this, was she? "Fine."

Shiemi immediately moved to open the gate. She opened the gate door wide so that the demon wouldn't touch it no matter what; don't want to keep burning the boy. She held out her hand towards the boy. "I won't bite…"

"Yeah, I kinda guessed." He walked past her, not even glancing down at her outstretched hand. He heard the gate close behind him, and he felt his chest tighten and spine stiffen. He glanced around warily; he wasn't a fan of being in small places with barriers.

Shiemi must have noticed this, because she then said, "Don't worry," in that soft tone of hers. She sat down next to the rosebush and patted the grass in front of her. "There isn't anything here that could hurt you. Not even Nee-chan."

Before he could even ask what the hell a Nee-chan was, he heard a loud squeaking. His eyes turned onto the small Greenman sitting on a rose. He scoffed. "That thing wouldn't be able to hurt me…"

He sat down near her, slouching slightly. "Well, what do you have planned?"

"Could you take off your jacket, please?"

He did. Shiemi then saw the full size of the burn. It was a burning red, larger than a baseball, spread out on his upper arm. There were small lines that were starting to climb up and down his arm. Shiemi guessed that it was following the veins.

She poked at it timorously, immediately regretting it when the boy let out a hiss. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know."

The boy looked down at the burn, teeth gritted. Where she touched the mark, it left a redder mark that was slowly fading away. He glanced up at her and she swallowed. "I'm sorry," she said again. "H-Here, I know what will help."

She turned to the Greenman. "Nee, I need some sancho-san."

The familiar seemed to frown in concentration, and it let out a small squeak as aloe leaves sprouted from its stomach. She thanked her familiar as she peeled the leaves off. "Here, hold still," she said, placing the leaves onto the boy's arm. The boy seemed to let out a sigh in comfort. She smiled slightly, happy that she was relieving some of his pain.

A few short minutes later, the entire blistered area was covered in aloe leaves. "There. You should keep the leaves on there for a while."

He looked down at the leaves before looking around the place more, choosing to stay silent. Shiemi watched as his eyes glance around the garden, taking in the wide variety of colourful flowers. He seemed so interested in them. She tried to retain the question she was dying to ask, but soon it spilled from her: "Do you like flowers?"

The boy turned to her, looking surprised, before he shook his head. "There aren't any flowers where I come from." He looked away. "I'm glad, too."

"Oh…" Another question rose. She stuttered a bit. "What's your name?"

There was a huff. "What's with you and questions?"

"I'm sorry, I was just…" Curious? Interested?

The boy turned to face her again. "My name's Rin."

The girl smiled. "My name is Shiemi Moriyama."

Rin hummed, again staying silent. He prodded at the leaves on his arm. "Is this thing done yet?"

"It should be." Shiemi peeled back one leaf to take a look at the skin underneath. It had turned to a fair pink colour. She nodded. "Yes, it's almost done. Maybe a few more minutes."

Once again, silence fell upon them. This time it was Rin that broke the silence. "How come you decided to help me?" he asked.

"Because you helped me…"

He became confused. "So, you still didn't have to."

"Still," she began to peel off the leaves, "I had to repay you somehow. It was by my choosing, too. So our deal still stands."

The demon grinned darkly. "If you say so." He brushed his arm clean from bits of the aloe leaves that stuck. He then stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Well then, Shiemi, I guess I have to leave. Something tells me that your mother is going to come check up on you soon, and she wouldn't be too pleased to see that you're helping someone like me."

A small, gasped "oh!" left her before she stood up as well. "Okay, then." She began walking back to the gate entrance and opened it for him. "When will I see you again?"

Rin shrugged and walked out. "I dunno. Whenever I feel bored. Maybe next week, or the week after, or the week after… Whenever," he repeated as the gate shut behind him. He turned to Shiemi. "What, miss me already?"

"No! It's just that-"

"I don't care," he said again. He began to walk down the steps. "See you later!" he shouted in a childish manner before taking off in a run, sprinting down the bridge, out of sight.

Shiemi's eyes were focused at the spot before Rin started running. She didn't know what to feel. Should she feel anxious? Fearful?

…Happy?

To her, Rin was now a friend. A strange one, but a friend. He had spared her life and returned her home, and he hadn't even attempted to hurt her while he was in her domain. He had the perfect chance to kill her, but he had let her heal him instead. Because of that, could they be friends?

"Shiemi?"

She turned to the voice. It came from the side door that led to the store part of her house. Her mother stood outside, a slightly worried expression in her aged eyes.

"Shiemi," she called out again, "dinner's ready. Come on inside."

"Okay, Mother. I'm coming."

She walked up to the house, glancing over her shoulder. She wondered when she was going to meet him next…

"Is something wrong?" she heard her mother ask.

She turned back around and said, "No, just thinking about stuff…"

* * *

That's it for now! I hope you enjoyed this bit.

Reviews are appreciated.


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